As part of Perfect Game's recurring PG in the Pros series David Rawnsley will take a look at some of the top prospects in minor league baseball and their impact on the sport prior to their professional careers. This will be done in a six-part series, one feature for each division in Major League Baseball while identifying one of the top prospects for each team. Links are provided below to past installments of the PG in the Pros series for other reports on prospects, both past and present.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Before They Were Pros, 2013-14 – Archie Bradley, Chris Owings, Stryker Trahan
Before They Were Pros, 2014-15– Braden Shipley, Aaron Blair, Brandon Drury
PG in the Pros, 2015-16 – Pete O’Brien
PG in the Pros, 2016-17 – Anthony Banda
Marcus Wilson, OF
When Perfect Game first saw Wilson at the 2012 California Underclass Showcase he immediately showed that he was an outstanding natural athlete with a huge physical ceiling. It was also very obvious that Wilson hadn't played much high quality baseball. Interspersed in the showcase notes after all the superlatives – "plus runner", "kills fastballs on the inside half," "whippy arm action with plus carry and upside" – and realities – "very raw in all areas," "interesting routes on fly balls," "can't sniff a breaking ball" – was a simple summation: "Not a very good baseball player right now but has all-star upside and elite tools."
At that point, Wilson did two things that significantly impacted his development as a player. He transferred from Hamilton High School to Junipero Serra High School, which offered a much higher quality of baseball, and began playing for the SGV Arsenal on a regular basis. Wilson also played at the MLB Urban Youth Academy in Compton, Calif.
When Wilson came to the 2013 PG National Showcase approximately a year later he physically looked the same with his highly athletic 6-foot-3, 180-pound build but his skills were hard to recognize as he had improved so much across the board. His report from the event read:
Marcus Wilson is a 2014 outfielder with a 6-foot-3, 180-pound frame from Los Angeles, Calif. who attends Junipero Serra High School. Long and slender athletic build, plus projection physically. 6.50 runner, 4.07 home-to-first from the right side, graceful runner, shows his athleticism in the outfield, strong arm with good accuracy, can improve jumps and routes to the ball with more experience. Righthanded hitter, loose swing with very good bat speed, simple swing mechanics, line drive plane and contact, stays balanced and can cover the outside half of the plate, will take pitches and work counts, high ceiling offensive potential. Showing tremendous improvement on literally a month-to-month basis, very good work ethic. Selected to the Perfect Game All-American Classic.
Wilson went on to hit .359-5-17 with 22 walks in 25 games as a high school senior and Perfect Game had him ranked as the 14th best prospect in the 2014 class. It should be noted that Wilson was exceptionally young for the 2014 class and wouldn't turn 18 years old until mid-August following his graduation.
Teams saw Wilson as much as Perfect Game did saw him as a high upside player with lots of risk due to his still raw but rapidly improving skills. The Diamondbacks picked him with the 69th overall pick in the 2014 draft and signed him out of an Arizona State commit for an even $1 million.
As expected, Wilson struggled to make hard, consistent contact for his first two-and-a-half years in the minors but blossomed as a 20-year old in the Midwest League in 2017, hitting .295-9-54 in 103 games with significantly improved command of the strike zone.
Colorado Rockies
Before They Were Pros, 2013-14 – Eddie Butler, David Dahl, Kyle Parker, Trevor Story
Before They Were Pros, 2014-15 – Jonathan Gray, Ryan McMahon
PG in the Pros, 2015-16 – Forrest Wall
PG in the Pros, 2016-17 – Ryan Castellani
Brendan Rodgers, SS
Rodgers started playing in WWBA events as a 13-year old with the Florida Flash and went on to compete in close to 25 Perfect Game events, mostly with the Orlando Scorpions. There really wasn't much question about his early talent, especially with the bat. This scout took the following raw notes after watching his batting practice at the 2012 PG National Underclass–Main Event midway through Rodgers’ sophomore year at Lake Mary High School in Florida.
Very projectable build, big stride in, stronger than he looks, really generates bat speed with whole body, ball jumps hard, big LCF power, accelerates the barrel, put 4 in net in LCF, going to be a stud.
At that point Rodgers was listed at 6-foot, 170-pounds and his run and throw tools, 7.21 and 81 mph respectively, were not as advanced as his bat speed. Those were to steadily improve over the next year and a half, to 6.83/87 at the 2013 PG Junior National Showcase and 6.77/93 at the 2014 PG National Showcase, when Rodgers was named a PG All-American.
One thing Rodgers always had, in addition to his superior bat speed, was huge natural athleticism. While his speed and raw quickness were never plus tools at shortstop, Rodgers played with a balance and athleticism that, when combined with his plus arm strength, made it comfortable to project him to stay at shortstop.
Rodgers' long-time coach on the Scorpions, Matt Gerber, once told a story about his shortstop. "I'd been trying to tell Brandon to just make the easy plays simply and easily and move on instead of adding too much to them. We were taking live infield in practice one day and a ground ball up the middle took a bad bounce. Brendan fielded the ball between his legs without losing balance and threw a one-leg strike to first base. He looked at me with a sheepish grin on his face as if to say, ‘Coach, I had to do it that way.’ The thing was that Brendan was so athletic he could just do that sort of thing and look normal doing it."
Rodgers was the consensus top player in the high school class going into the 2015 draft despite having an uneven senior spring season and was No. 1 in the PG high school draft rankings. The Rockies picked him as the first high school selection at third overall, just behind college shortstops Dansby Swanson and Alex Bregman, and signed the Florida State commit for a $5.5 million bonus.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Before They Were Pros, 2013-14 – Corey Seager, Joc Pederson, Zach Lee
Before They Were Pros, 2014-15 – Chris Anderson, Scott Schebler
PG in the Pros, 2015-16 – Cody Bellinger
PG in the Pros, 2016-17 – Alex Verdugo
Walker Buehler, RHP
Buehler played in a handful of WWBA events while at Robert Clay High School in Lexington, Ky., with Marucci Elite and also threw at the 2010 PG Ohio Valley Showcase. He worked in the mid-80s with his fastball at that point, topping out at 87 mph, and threw a mid-70s curveball that was his best pitch. Buehler was invited to the 2011 PG National Showcase and threw outstanding, striking out five out of six hitters and looking unhittable. His fastball was in the 90-92 mph but his curveball was simply nasty and he threw both pitches where he wanted to for two innings. His report from that event read:
Slender build. Leg tuck delivery, over-the-top release point, pulls head off plate but lower half stays directional, repeats well. Very fast, loose arm, steady 90-92 mph fastball, throws it to spots. Nasty upper-70s curveball, plus/plus sharpness and bite, big downer shape, excellent curveball command despite size and shape, got ahead with fastball, closed out with curveball and completely overmatched hitters. Strong comparison to former Pirates No. 1 draft pick, Bobby Bradley.
While the stuff, and especially the curveball, was top shelf, Buehler was still a fragile looking 6-foot-2, 160-pounds with a max effort delivery, so scouts were hesitant in their evaluations. Buehler was also an exceptional student and although there were some late big money runs at him before the 2012 draft, he lasted to the 14th round to the Pirates and went to Vanderbilt.
Buehler worked in a swing role for Vanderbilt as a freshman, going 4-3, 3.14 in 63 innings, then had an outstanding sophomore year, going 12-2, 2.64 with 111 strikeouts in 102 innings while seeing his fastball move into the mid-90s and developing a potential plus changeup. Despite his mechanics, his command continued to be solid and he walked only 31 hitters.
While Buehler made 16 starts as a junior, he missed two weeks early in the season with a sore elbow and his stuff and durability edged backwards amidst talk that he had more serious elbow issues. He was a wildcard going into the draft and slid to the Dodgers and the 24th overall pick after earlier being considered a potential top 10 pick. The Dodgers pre-signing physical revealed ligament damage but the Dodgers decided to play the long game and sign Buehler anyway, giving him a $1.7 million bonus, $300,000 short of the recommended slot for that pick. He underwent TJ surgery in August before pitching in a professional game.
San Diego Padres
Before They Were Pros, 2013-14 – Austin Hedges, Matt Wisler, Max Fried, Joe Ross
Before They Were Pros, 2014-15 – Hunter Renfroe, Taylor Lindsey
PG in the Pros, 2015-16 – Colin Rea
PG in the Pros, 2016-17 – Josh Naylor
Logan Allen, LHP
Allen established himself over 15 WWBA tournaments from 2012 to 2015 as one of the most successful and dominant pitchers in recent Perfect Game history. Included in his resume were nine All-Tournament berths, the MV-Pitcher award at the 2013 16u WWBA National Championship and five national championship rings, all as a member of the EvoShield Canes. Canes manager Jeff Petty would typically save Allen for deep in the playoffs, most often the semifinals or finals, and Allen was almost a sure thing, not only to deliver quality innings, but also pitch deep into the game or finish it himself.
However, Allen did not show well at the 2014 PG National Showcase. This scout's raw notes from that National were simple and to the point: "Worst I've seen him pitch in 6-8 outings. Was obviously out of his element and overthrowing."
Allen was topping out in the upper-80s as early as the summer after his sophomore year and generally pitched in the 86-89 mph range. His fastball played up due to its life, the effectiveness with which he hid the ball and his ability to spot the pitch. Allen's curveball was usually his best pitch, with very good feel for different shapes and velocities, and he also threw an effective changeup.
At that point, Allen looked like the type of pitcher who would likely go to college and be an immediate success, in Allen's case at South Carolina. But as a senior at IMG Academy in Florida, the North Carolina native saw an uptick in his velocity and scouts, who were also tracking 2016 first round pick Jason Groome at the same school, noticed right away. Allen went 8-0, 0.93 as a senior, including a dominant performance at the 2015 PG High School Showdown where he sat 91-93 mph with a plus curveball for four innings and overmatched a good high school team.
Allen lasted until the eighth round of the 2015 draft before the Red Sox drafted him but agreed to a well over slot $725,000 signing bonus. After striking out 26 in 24 innings and only walking one hitter in his professional debut, Allen was included in the Padres and Red Sox trade in November that sent closer Craig Kimbrel to Boston.
San Francisco Giants
Before They Were Pros, 2013-14 – Andrew Susac
Before They Were Pros, 2014-15 – Christian Arroyo, Steven Okert, Clayton Blackburn
PG in the Pros, 2015-16 – Tyler Beede
PG in the Pros, 2016-17 – Chris Shaw
Austin Slater, OF
Giants fans have been pleasantly surprised by what Slater showed them late in 2017 when he hit .282-3-16 in 34 games, as the 2014 eighth round pick out of Stanford was not regarded as a premium prospect. But actually Slater was a very acclaimed prospect out of high school and played in the 2011 Perfect Game All-American Classic.
Slater attended The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida, the alma mater of likely 2018 Hall of Fame inductee Chipper Jones, while playing for the Orlando Scorpions during the summer and fall. He matured early as an athlete and was a very strong 6-foot-2, 190-pounds at the end of his sophomore season and already showing big tools across the board. He ran a 6.62 60-yard dash while throwing 91 mph across the infield at the 2009 PG Junior National Showcase but the notes from that event clearly indicate that his best tool was his raw bat speed and the way the ball came off his barrel.
His report from the 2010 PG National Showcase, where he was selected as an All-American, reads as follows:
Austin Slater is a 2011 shortstop/third baseman with a 6-foot-2 190-pound frame from Jacksonville, Fla. who attends The Bolles School. Very strong athletic build, well proportioned. 6.73 runner, balanced stance hitting, loose upper body and swing, strong hands, hands tend to go stiff at contact, very good bat speed, extended finish, shows power to all fields, ball comes off the barrel hard. Outstanding arm strength in the infield, charges the ball well, some agility, long release, makes the routine play, likely profiles better at third base in the future. Outstanding student, verbal commitment to Stanford. Selected to the PG All-American team.
Slater was an elite level student off the field as well and was strong in his commitment to Stanford, leaving the Dodgers to spend a token 44th round pick on him in the 2011 draft. He only appeared in six games as a freshman at Stanford but was a regular as a sophomore and junior while switching from the infield to the outfield. While Slater hit the ball well once he was getting regular time, including posting a .341 average as a junior, he hit with limited power, picking up only five home runs at Stanford and only two more in over 300 at-bats in three college summer league seasons.
Scouts who had seen Slater in high school and had seen his raw bat speed in college speculated that the power was there with adjustments to Slater's swing. Although he hit only two home runs after signing in 2014 and three in his first full season, the adjustments kicked in during the 2016 season when he hit a combined .305-18-67 between AA and AAA and put him back on the big league track that he appeared to be on in high school.